A Hampden County Juvenile Court clerk finds himself in court. There's trouble between him and his roommate after a dispute that even victimized the family pet.

Monday nights altercation between Hampden Juvenile Court Clerk Donald Whitney and his roommate Ricardo Lagares isn't the first.

Last month Whitney was arrested after he reportedly stuck his roommate with a rake, but this time, Lagares was the one in handcuffs

On the eve of court clerk Donald Whitney's court appearance for the rake incident, Springfield Police were back at the home he shares with Ricardo Lagares. Police say Lagares allegedly swung Whitney's leashed-dog like a lasso and threw it against the wall.

Sgt. John Delaney says, "During the course of the investigation found out that there was dog tooled around by his leash and slammed up against the wall, there was assault, tires were flattened in the driveway and as a result of the situations a subject was arrested."

Police say the dog seems to be ok, and so was Whitney, after getting hit in the chest by a telephone. The men stood side by side in court as White asked the judge for a restraining order against Lagares. Whitney claims Lagares threatened his family and told him he would slit his throat and burn down his house. The threats come after weeks of arguments between the two.

Sgt. Delaney says, "The police have been there before there was an ongoing domestic dispute going on between two individuals."

Lagares pleaded innocent to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, cruelty to animals and intimidating a witness. Whitney's rake assault charge will be taken up at a later date, and was granted the restraining

Whitney has not been suspended from his court job but he is taking some time off.